In Any Other World
by StarlightsNight
Summary: With his human counterpart supposedly dead, Rose resumed travelling with her Doctor. Leaving her family behind in a parallel universe is hard enough, but with a devastating prophecy following every move they make, will their relationship survive?
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story will follow the Doctor and Rose through the four 2010 specials, and the first chapter will begin with 'The Planet Of The Dead'. But before that, the prologue. hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Come on!" Rose pulled on the sleeve of the blue suit, urging the Doctor to follow her. He resisted.

"I can't let him get away. He'll come back and you and the Doctor will be the first people he'll look for." Rose frowned at him, gesturing wildly to the flames that were slowly engulfing them.

"Doctor, look at this! There is no way he could survive this-"

"He's done it before." The flames illuminated a darkness in his eyes that Rose had not seen since he regenerated. It was like her old Doctor was staring her in the face. It was disturbing but somehow...comforting.

"Doctor, please, come on-"Her pleas were muffled as he pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was fierce and passionate; it left her gasping for air when they parted. Even though the wall of scarlet and amber was slowly crawling nearer, Rose couldn't help but feel hazy from the kiss.

"I would never forgive myself if I didn't do that at least once." He sent her a small smile that she automatically returned.

"Please, come back with me." She urged one last time, hands clutching at his fingers. He only threw her a tender look.

"I just want you safe." Before she had a chance to speak again, he disappeared into the flames.

"Doctor, wait!" Rose kept trying to step forwards and penetrate the fortress of fire, but each movement forwards sent a searing heat all too close to her skin. Somewhere on her person she could smell something burning.

"Rose, come on, we have to leave." Her brown suited Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her towards the TARDIS. Even in his urgency he was gentle with her.

"No, the Doctor...you! He's in there, he went after Davros. We need to get him out!" She struggled in his grip, but he was stronger than her. He paused only for a second as he regarded the flames his counterpart had disappeared into. He made up his mind as a metal beam fell from the ceiling and landed before them in a pile of burning scrap.

"It's too late for him, Rose. We need to go." Despite her cries of protest, the Doctor dragged her to the ship. He flung the door open and pulled her inside, running to the control panel to put the ship in flight before Rose could even blink.

* * *

"No!" Rose pounded on the doors of the TARDIS even though she knew it was too late. She whirled around to face the Doctor who was staring at her with a solemn expression.

"You can't just leave him there, he's you!" She ran up the ramp towards him, footsteps clattering on the grated metal.

"He's gone, Rose. The whole place exploded. We go back now and we'll be caught in the middle of the blast." Her hands were fisted in the lapels of his suit, and with a gentle hand he removed them.

"But..."She threw another glance to the doors.

"We can't." Rose knew that she was fighting a lost cause. Everyone around them was silent, watching the exchange with a solemn air. Not wanting to face anyone, she buried her head in the Doctor's neck. Sensing her fragile state he wrapped his arms around her, trying to shield her from any harm that would befall her.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he contemplated staying that way forever. She would be safe like this, no one could touch her. It could happen. But the illusion was shattered when Rose stepped away with a little sniffle. Her fingers automatically found his however, and the Doctor pulled her closer.

"He died trying to protect you, Rose. That's a cause worth dying for." He whispered it to her, not wanting any of the other occupants to hear the tender moment. It was just them now. Like it always had been. It did not however, stop her auburn eyes filling with tears.

"I never wanted anyone to die for me." The Doctor had no answer to that; he just pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Come on. We need to send the Earth back home. Save the day. Shiver and shake?" Rose couldn't help but let out a laugh at his inane grin. He chucked her on the chin and pulled her to the console by his side.

They flew the TARDIS in silence, and somewhere in the back of her mind Rose registered that it was the smoothest flight she had ever been on. But her heart was still heavy with the thought of the blue suited Doctor, the human one, running to his death to save her. The thought made her head reel.

* * *

After a celebration of the Earth in its proper place, they dropped everyone home, one by one. She wasn't surprised when Mickey left. Their relationship had deteriorated in the other universe. Her determination to get back to the Doctor and his stubborn refusal to accept it had come to a head. He told her of his plans to go back to his own universe when they attempted to patch up their relationship. But it was beyond repair. She thought maybe in time they could go back to how it was. Well...she hoped.

Soon it was just her and her mother left with the Doctor and Donna.

"Last stop!" The Doctor called out, avoiding her eyes as he pulled a lever. A sinking feeling erupted in Rose's stomach as she regarded his closed off state. She knew what he was going to do. And there was no way that she would let him.

The TARDIS landed with a soft thud and Jackie walked briskly to the doors. The time apart from Tony and her husband must have been terrible for her Rose pondered. She followed behind her mother a bit more cautiously.

Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again as she the grey expanse of beach stretched out before her. Each grain of sand as miserable and foreboding as the last. Even the waves that lapped at the beach seemed to be telling her to go inside the TARDIS and never look back. But she had to say goodbye.

"Bloody Norway! His driving hasn't changed much." Jackie huffed as she pulled her phone from her pocket, frantically dialling her husband's number. The closing of the TARDIS door turned her around.

The Doctor and Donna had followed them out...and Rose didn't like the look he had in his eyes.

"This is the parallel universe." Rose said, her voice choking in her throat.

"You're back home." The word home felt like a slap in the face to her. After everything that she had done to be with him again. Donna was talking but Rose couldn't hear. Her eyes were fixed on the Doctor's.

"I'm gonna have to call Pete. He's on the nursery run. Do you remember? I was pregnant. A little boy. We called him Doctor." Jackie grinned to the Doctor, seemingly unaware of the tension between him and his daughter. For a moment a glimmer of real joy shone through his face.

"Really?" Jackie laughed.

"No. His name is Tony."

"Oh..." He ducked his head, a little too disappointed than he should be. Rose however, was still not paying attention to the joking around her.

"I'm not staying here." She said. The Doctor looked at her, uncertainty painted across his face.

"After all that time trying to find you I'm not just going to go back!" She cried, voice carrying for miles across the deserted beach.

"You have a good life here, Rose. You've got your mm and your dad...a little brother to watch grow up-"

"Nah, what you mean is that I'm safe here." The Doctor looked at her, eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"I know you, Doctor. I know what you're trying to do and I won't let you. You can't make decisions for me anymore, I won't let you." He was silent before a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you."

"That a bad thing?" She challenged.

"Not at all." He grinned at her now, his smile full of pride. Somewhere in the background she could hear her mum on the phone to her dad, there was something about a helicopter floating in the conversation. Suddenly a thought struck her. Something that she never thought about...perhaps because she didn't want to think about it.

"You don't want me to come." Rose whispered, eyes wide. Had he moved on that fast? She knew he had had that girl Martha with him, and now Donna...maybe he didn't care-

"Don't be stupid." Donna said it for him. Rose and the Doctor looked at her.

"I know what you're thinking now, ever since the metacrisis. You want her to come more than anything in the universe but you're too scared-"

"Donna." He bit out sharply, the word a warning. Rose swallowed, brushing the hair from her face.

"Do you want me to come, Doctor? And I'm asking you." She said pointedly, earning an apologetic nod from Donna. The Doctor glanced around; looking for any help that he knew wasn't coming. After a minute he turned back to Rose, defeated.

"Of course I do." He said quietly. Rose walked forwards, a hand reaching to entwine with his.

"Then why are you trying to send me away?" She whispered, her face close to his. She could count every little freckle smattered across his cheeks. He could see every perfect clump of mascara on her eyelashes. A little less than she used to use though.

"I don't want to take you away from your family. Not again." The guilty look in his eyes said enough. Donna had disappeared into the TARDIS and Jackie was talking on her phone a little way away. It was just them alone on the beach. It was a strange mirror of a day Rose would rather forget.

"I told you, I made my choice." Rose dared to place a hand against his face, fingertips rejoicing in the feeling of the slight stubble there. She had taken those little things for granted when she was with him before. The stubble that used to graze against her skin when he hugged her, the cold touch of his fingers, even the way he used to snore or leave toothpaste open. It was those things that she had missed the most. Not the travelling. Just him.

"Are you sure? This is it, Rose. If you go with me then you will never see them again. It'll be you and me. That's it." He spoke it like she was supposed t be disappointed with the thought. She gave a glance to her mother, laughing on the phone with Pete. Jackie was happy. She was safe.

"Mum's got everything she could ever want. She's happy. They don't need me anymore. And I need you. You're my choice every time, Doctor. Always have been." The Doctor had a look of acceptance on his face, but beyond that Rose could see the happiness radiating from him. It wasn't the same look he gave her the last time she chose him in Canary Wharf. This one filled her with hope instead of trepidation.

"Your wish is my command, Rose Tyler." Before she could help herself, Rose pressed a brief kiss to his lips. But he didn't freeze like she expected him to. He let her kiss him and if she wasn't mistaken, pushed back into the kiss ever so slightly. Releasing him from her hold, Rose ran to her mother to say goodbye.

As the Doctor watched the exchange between mother and daughter sadness overtook him. But not for Rose. For Donna. He knew what he had to do. Resentment for his human counterpart flooded through him until he reminded himself that if it wasn't for him then they would all most likely be dead.

He died for Rose. A noble death. With that thought in mind the Doctor sent a quiet thank you into the sky, hoping that he would somehow hear it.

* * *

He wasn't to know however, that his human counterpart was currently in a Dalek escape pod hurtling towards Earth.


	2. Chapter 1

Rose looked across the blinking console to the Doctor, eyes following a droplet of water clinging to a bit of his hair.

It dropped, landing with a soft _plink_ on the grated floor.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as if the sound would physically hurt him. He drew in a long breath, eyes still fixed on the controls.

"I'm alright." Rose stepped forwards, shoes squelching wetly. Her hand gripped the console lightly, searching for some kind of comfort from the pulsing ship. The life force that was Donna Noble was gone...everything seemed a little quieter. Less bright.

"Are you though?" She stopped in front of him, brushing wet strands away from her slick skin.

The Doctor looked up as if seeing her for the first time. He closed the distance between them, a hand reaching out to smooth her hair behind her ear. He regarded her face for a moment, memorising every line and every blemish before a slow smile spread over his face.

"Yeah." And for once, Rose believed him.

She looked down at their clothes and frowned.

"We should probably change. Catch pneumonia or something like this." She unzipped her jacket and flung it across the metal supports by the door. The Doctor threw it a glance.

"I missed that, you know. Seeing your clothes flung everywhere. I don't know if I missed that or telling you off for it more." Rose swallowed, not wanting the dark mood to overtake them again. She quickly grabbed his hand with a smile.

"Yeah, well, plenty of chance for that. Come on. Let's take a shower." He raised an eyebrow and it took a moment for the meaning to sink in.

"I didn't mean together!" Rose quickly corrected, eyes wide. The Doctor smiled.

"Oh no, of course you didn't-"

"I wouldn't-"

"I know-"

"S'pretty embarrassing-"

"Yeah..." She cleared her throat and ducked her head, cheeks burning with her foolishness. A moment passed in silence.

"We'll be alright thought won't we, Doctor?" She said, still a bit embarrassed about meeting his eyes. He thread an arm around her shoulder, suit dampening further as he pressed her body to his.

"Of course we will." He started to lead them down one of the long corridors of the TARDIS, revelling in the sensations of having her by his side once more.

"I say we order a Chinese and pop in a DVD." The Doctor said casually as they walked along. Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"Look at you going all domestic on me." She beamed at him, leaning against him as they walked.

"Well, that's something I missed about you the most, Rose. All these little _human_ things you made me do. I missed them. And I think...I didn't realise how much I enjoyed them." Rose glanced up at him, a pretty little smile on her face.

"I think I've broken you in, Doctor. Like a little house cat." The Doctor grimaced.

"Still don't like cats." Rose rolled her eyes. The question of pets onboard the TARDIS was always a no go area.

"Hang on, order a Chinese? What address you gonna give them?" The Doctor's laughter rang through the halls and Rose joined it. It seemed as if nothing had changed.

* * *

About a week later Rose climbed the stairs to the Powell Estates two at a time, footsteps echoing on the concrete steps. The Doctor wasn't far behind. It was the first time that Rose had seen her childhood home in years.

She had never grown use to the expanse of space that the Tyler Mansion offered her. It was too big. Too empty. But the now the sound of a distant police siren whizzing by and the thump of music in a flat on the top floor was the most beautiful noise that Rose had ever heard. The Doctor had made sure it was night when he took her to see the flat. Didn't want any nosy neighbours spotting a girl they thought long since dead.

She reached her door; the peeling paint looked greater than any painting she had ever gazed upon. With a squeal of delight she waited until the Doctor brought out the key and unlocked it for her. Without a moment's hesitation she bounded in, stopping as took in the sight.

Everything was as it was. Every little thing was in the same place that it had been the day she left...that awful day...

It was strange.

"Why is everything the same? I thought that they would have sold it on or taken the stuff out or something...boarded it up at least. Why's it the same?" Rose turned to the Doctor, surprised to see his rather bashful look. He brushed past her, heading into the kitchen.

"I bought it." His voice was quiet. Rose paused for a moment.

"You...you bought it? Why?" She followed him into the kitchen, observing as he pulled two mugs from the cupboard. He didn't turn to look at her.

"I just...I couldn't bear the thought of people coming in here and touching your stuff...throwing everything away. Nah, couldn't let that happen." He flicked a spoon into the sink. Rose nodded, not pressing him. She hadn't really thought about how hard it would have been for him. She sent him a small smile that he couldn't see before walking over to her bedroom.

It was the same. Even smelt the same. Without a second thought she collapsed on her bed, breathing in the scent of her old life. As she did, she sat up straight. She could smell the Doctor. His hair products and chips and the earthy smell he always had around him. It was on her pillow as if he had only just been lying there.

As she regarded her room she noticed more and more things seemed rather strange. A drawer was open here and there that she didn't remember touching. A few clothes of hers were spread out on the dresser that she most certainly didn't put there. And there was fresh food and milk in the fridge...he was using it to make tea. Her heart dropped when she realised.

The Doctor had visited here after she left. Frequently by the looks of it.

She could feel her heart splintering as she all but ran into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. He almost spilt the tea. Placing the mugs down he returned the hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

"What's wrong? Eh?" He stroked a few golden strands back to see her face; he could see her eyes flooding slowly with tears.

"I just missed you so much. You know that, right?" The Doctor smiled.

"Of course I do. Missed you too." With a shaky breath Rose left his embrace, grabbing her cup.

"Let's watch a film, eh? Curl up on the sofa like old times."The Doctor pondered this course of action, taking a sip of his tea.

"Nah. Tell you what; let's go out on the town! Paint the city red or something to that effect." Rose set down her mug, giggling like a teenager once again.

"What, you mean like clubbing?" The Doctor scoffed.

"No, I mean like...let's see the sights! Eat dodgy food-"

"End up kissing complete strangers?" Rose echoed the phrase from a time long gone. The Doctor gave her a disapproving tut.

"You will be kissing no strangers thank you very much." The Doctor downed his last bit of tea and threw it in the sink.

"I can kiss whoever I like! You can't tell me otherwise." Only the twinkle in her eye betrayed her annoyed facade. She found the Doctor suddenly very close to her.

"Since I am a Time Lord, extremely intelligent and charming, and above all your best friend in the entire world...I think you'll find that I can. Now get dressed." He turned Rose around and pushed her in the direction of her bedroom.

"You'll be sorry for that, you know." Rose called over her shoulder, laughter echoing down the hall.

"You're all talk." He called after her. The smile still lingered on his face as he opened the cupboard to find a packet of biscuits.

* * *

"What do you think?" Rose stepped out of the doorway shyly, tugging her dress down a bit. It was a plain black long sleeved dress. But it used to be one of her favourites. The skirts flared out at the hips and it was short enough to be casual. The Doctor beamed.

"You look gorgeous." She bit her lip at the comment. She hadn't had the chance to dress up like this in ages. Her mind was purely focused on work the moment she said goodbye to the Doctor in Norway. There was no time to play.

She smiled and took the hand he offered her. They ran all the way to the street.

* * *

A few hours later Rose found herself chewing on the Easter egg the Doctor had bought her, savouring the sweet chocolate.

"Oh God, I haven't had one of these in ages." She moaned as she swallowed. The Doctor laughed at her bliss. They were sitting at a bus stop near the centre of London. The night out on the town had led them to a local Tesco. The Doctor being the Doctor had seen that it was Easter and insisted they get eggs. Rose being Rose didn't object.

As he regarded her small frame shivering in the night air, the Doctor slipped off his jacket.

"Here." He placed it around Rose's shoulders. She smiled up at him and shuffled closer to his body, trying to conserve some heat.

"You should be careful you know, Doctor. People might think we're a couple."

"Oh, that's not so bad." He said simply, and Rose felt her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Yeah." The moment was cut short however, as a red bus stopped in front of them.

"Come on, this is us." Rose gave the Doctor her egg as she fished her Oyster card from her bag. She smirked as the Doctor swiped his psychic paper on the scanner and heard the resounding beep, tricking the machine. The Doctor grinned back at her as hebounded forwards, leading them upstairs. Once he found a suitable seat for them he pulled her down beside him.

A second later a frown settled upon his face.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Rose peered at him as he fished in his pockets. A woman across the aisle from them was looking at them with a curious alarm. Her heavy black fringe cast her eyes into darkness...Rose didn't like the look of her.

With a sigh the Doctor turned to her.

"Something tells me, Rose...our night out is about to be cut short."


End file.
